Is last year’s team better than this year’s team?

[Blazers1977]

When I took this same poll just before opening night 2019, the result was 38-4 in favor of this year’s team being the better team.

Has anyone’s opinion changed?

 

[Chris Craig]

Yes, last years team was better.

 

[julius]

Last year, the team didn't lose their 3rd home game until Nov 25th (7-3).

They did lose 6 out of 7 last year (games 18-24), for a record of 13-11.

So if the team is 13-11 after 24 games, I'm not too concerned. I really doubt this team will be 13-11 after 24 games though. Especially given the schedule ahead. 7 out of 8 on the road? eeesh....Rockets, Raptors, Spurs and Bucks?

 

[HolyBackboard]

The problem I continue to see when comparing rosters from this year and last is the fact there was absolutely no way Portland would have been able to bring back the entire 18-19 roster.
- We were over the luxury tax and only had the taxpayers MLE
- Our top two free agents, Hood and Kanter, were acquired without Bird rights
- We were lucky to have signed one of Rodney and Enes
- Curry received an offer we couldn't match
- Aminu was unplayable the final six games of the postseason and, like Curry, was offered a contract that we rightfully didn't match
- Baze has had an inconsistent start to the season, but he's still leaps and bounds better than Turner

To me, the moves that are up for debate currently are:

- Meyers and Moe for Whiteside
- Signing Gasol, Tolliver, and Mario to minimum contracts ... but that's just it, we only had minimum contracts to offer.

The bottom line is we all said we would miss Nurk this season but I don't think we all (myself included) truly realized just how much of an impact not having him on the floor would be. Also, we are without are other top defender in Zach Collins. I don't know of too many teams who could lose not only their size, interior presence, but also their top two defenders and still succeed.

To answer the OP's question: There's just not enough evidence, yet. Portland won't have Nurk and Z back for another 4+ months, so we just don't know the answer. Given how last year's team was constructed financially it's an impossible question to ask because there was no chance of bringing that bunch back.

 

[Driew]

Last years team was better at staying healthy that's all we know at this point.

 

[DUB]

I had no idea then, because I was yet to see this season’s roster play.

I have no idea now, because I am yet to see this season’s roster “play”.

 

[BlazerRx]

I pick this year's team being better after 20 games, barring no injuries....but since the injury to Zach and other minor injuries keeping them from building on continuous set lineups......I'm not so sure at this point

 

[blazerfan11]

Zach Collins is out so all you can go by is the first few games. The Blazers were 2-1 with 2 straight road wins with him. Collins could have turned out to be a great complement to Whiteside. Collins played 31 minutes in the first game against Denver and 32 minutes in the 2nd game against Sacramento. So he was #3 in minutes in those 2 games among Blazers (after Lillard and McCollum).
Without him , there is no way to compare this season's team to last season's if you want to evaluate the changes that were made.

 

[KingSpeed]

Last years team was better at staying healthy that's all we know at this point.

Were they? CJ and Nurk both went down with major injuries. It was an incredible recovery for CJ to be back for playoffs. And we still got 3 seed and we still got WCF.

We are clearly better than last year. Look at what Meyers, Aminu, Harkless, and Turner are producing on their new teams. Only Meyers starts and at 7' 1", he doesn't even grab 5 rebounds. An unmotivated Hassan Whiteside is world's better. Hezonja and Baze have been off and they are still more reliable than Turner. Hood is a better player for us at SF than Harkless ever was. Problem is Injuries + Hard Schedule + a Korkmaz + bunch of close games that didn't go our way = 3-6.

 

[beast blazer]

Evidently. We made it to the end without nurk. This squad may not win a home game till thanksgiving.

 

[Chris Craig]

Were they? CJ and Nurk both went down with major injuries. It was an incredible recovery for CJ to be back for playoffs. And we still got 3 seed and we still got WCF.

We are clearly better than last year. Look at what Meyers, Aminu, Harkless, and Turner are producing on their new teams. Only Meyers starts and at 7' 1", he doesn't even grab 5 rebounds. An unmotivated Hassan Whiteside is world's better. Hezonja and Baze have been off and they are still more reliable than Turner. Hood is a better player for us at SF than Harkless ever was. Problem is Injuries + Hard Schedule + a Korkmaz + bunch of close games that didn't go our way = 3-6.

Done hearing excuses

 

[KingSpeed]

Evidently. We made it to the end without nurk. This squad may not win a home game till thanksgiving.

This team will win a home game on Sunday.

 

[Chris Craig]

This team will win a home game on Sunday.

You said they'd beat the Nets

Hawks will be tougher than the Nets

 

[beast blazer]

This team will win a home game on Sunday.

Blah blah blah

 

[KingSpeed]

You said they'd beat the Nets

Hawks will be tougher than the Nets

Hawks will be easy 2 point win.

 

[Driew]

Were they? CJ and Nurk both went down with major injuries. It was an incredible recovery for CJ to be back for playoffs. And we still got 3 seed and we still got WCF.

We are clearly better than last year. Look at what Meyers, Aminu, Harkless, and Turner are producing on their new teams. Only Meyers starts and at 7' 1", he doesn't even grab 5 rebounds. An unmotivated Hassan Whiteside is world's better. Hezonja and Baze have been off and they are still more reliable than Turner. Hood is a better player for us at SF than Harkless ever was. Problem is Injuries + Hard Schedule + a Korkmaz + bunch of close games that didn't go our way = 3-6.

Well those injuries occurred late in the season. This year we've been banged up from the very beginning. That was my point.

 

[Strenuus]

Hawks will be easy 2 point win.

How can 2 point wins be easy? Lol.

 

[swish3]

Based on the first 8 games, Meyers leads the NBA in 3P% at 68.8%, in TS% with 74.0%, and eFG% with 73.9%. He is continuing on from the WCF performance against GSW in which he scored 5 of 6 swish3s and 10 of 12 FG in the 1st half that is outstanding. If Eric Spoestra discovers the power of counting on Meyers to shoot 6 swish3 attempts per half, we may see Meyers continue to lead these categories, increasing personal scoring bests, and watch the Heat remain at the top of the Eastern Conference.

 

[SIeepwalker]

Well I would still take Hood over Harkless and Zach over Aminu in the starting lineup in a heartbeat
I would however take Aminu over Tolliver in the starting lineup...

 

[bobf]

This team is not even in the same realm as last years team.

 

[bobf]

Nurk Leonard
Collins Aminu Skal
Harkless Layman
Dame CJ Curry Simons

Beats hands down anything we will be able to assemble with the current roster healthy. Won’t be evident until Nurk & Collins come back.

 

[Orion Bailey]

I voted no. But it isnt because i think this team is better, though im still undecided, i voted no because the only other option was keep the team together and i dont think last years team could have competed for a ring. Gsw, toronto, houston and milwaukie were all better.

but then all these teams made changes and now i think last years team would be a legit contender this year.

Can i change my vote to yes?

 

[Blazinaway]

Can we really compare as last yrs team stayed very healthy most of the season until the Nurk injury, this yr we started
with no Nurk and lost Collins, I'd say "if" healthy this yrs team would have likely been "as good" as last yrs, beyond that its
hard to say

 

[SIeepwalker]

Yeah, this team is better if everyone is healthy. Last year team is better right now

 

[Blazers1977]

I was one of the 4 people to initially vote that last years team was better. Ironically I also seem to now be in the minority saying this team is actually better.

The Collins injury was devastating and threw off our entire rotation. When he was playing we looked dominant. But imo we just have chemistry and injury problems that will likely be mostly-resolved by March.

 

[riverman]

I think we're taking our lumps early...rather get guys back healthy second half of the season than have burned out starters limping into the playoffs.....getting our brutal road schedule out of the way early and knowing Pau, Zach and Nurk may be ready for the playoffs....we have more talent this season and so far, very awkward chemistry. Shots are going to fall ...just a rocky start

 

[Bruno_Sabino]

Early to tell...Let me know when cj starting playin

 

[hoopsjock]

We're also comparing a team after adding two big additions to the roster via trade and the buyout market to a team that isn't a finished product and has played 9 games.

We should be comparing the team through 9 game last year versus the team this year. Sure the record was better but that team wasn't yet missing Nurk or Collins either.

There is no reason why Olshey can't make similar moves this year to fix things. Replacing Stauaskas and Baldwin with Hood type moves will make this team better. There is also a reason why they're keeping the 15th roster spot open. If, and yes this is a big if, Nurk and/or Collins come back too on top of those moves we'll be fine and everyone will forget this start just like they did last year.

 

[riverman]

We're also comparing a team after adding two big additions to the roster via trade and the buyout market to a team that isn't a finished product and has played 9 games.

We should be comparing the team through 9 game last year versus the team this year. Sure the record was better but that team wasn't yet missing Nurk or Collins either.

There is no reason why Olshey can't make similar moves this year to fix things. Replacing Stauaskas and Baldwin with Hood type moves will make this team better. There is also a reason why they're keeping the 15th roster spot open. If, and yes this is a big if, Nurk and/or Collins come back too on top of those moves we'll be fine and everyone will forget this start just like they did last year.

Mo never seemed to find his game until about 20 games in every season...and we'd usually have a guy like Stauskas start hot and fizzle by mid season

 

[wizenheimer]

I never believed this year's team was better. I thought people were overrating (significantly) the talent coming in and underrating the talents that left, especially on the defensive end. I also thought that the flaws of the departing players were being exaggerated, while the flaws on the newcomers were generally dismissed

but now, it's unlikely the question will ever be tested, one way of the other, because of injuries. Gasol hasn't had a single practice yet; Nurk might not be available till Feb., and Zach might miss the rest of the season. Also, Hood has back spasms and those can derail a season

all that said, I had no problem at all waving bye-bye to the guys that left. Just a little disappointed in the replacements